I recently had the opportunity to hear Jad Abumrad speak on the ingredients of successful storytelling.
Jad is the co-host of a popular NPR program called RadioLab. The program airs on more than 500 radio stations and has more than a million podcast subscribers.
The mission of RadioLab is to take really complex topics (usually from the scientific realm) and make them understandable to normal people like you and me.
You’d think Jad would be an expert at explaining things, but he’s not. He believes explanations are a waste of time.
An explanation is like talking to a deaf person. They can’t hear it.
Experiencing something firsthand is the antithesis of an explanation. It speaks volumes to the participants.
The problem with experiences is that not everyone can have them.
Neil Armstrong stepped on the moon. It would be great if everyone could step on the moon, but it can’t happen. Experiences often don’t scale very well.
So how do you get information to someone (like your recruiting prospect) when creating an experience in not feasible?
Tell a story. Stories can be heard because they are the next best thing to experiences.
They breathe life into an explanation and get your message heard.